Noctua NH-D14 Review

Introduction

BOGOF.... Yep thats right, BOGOF or buy one get one free as its otherwise known. How many times have you been walking round the supermarket and bought something just because you get another free? What is it inside us that makes us so happy when we think we get something for free?

Overclocking your PC is very similar to that notion, you ramp up you base clock and effectively get a much faster CPU than you really paid for. The direct trade of with overclocking is with increased volts brings increased heat which needs to be dissipated. So many times on the OC3D Forums I have seen the threads "best air cooler for a 4ghz i7 920?"

The trouble is that its not a simple answer. In my books 60 - 70c on air is as high as Id like to go. Over 80c is an absolute no-no in my eyes for extended use. That's where the search for the best cooling starts and so often leads an enthusiast into buying a custom water cooling loop or having their PC sounding like a wind tunnel. Is it really possible to tame a 4ghz i7 without water cooling or needing 220cfm Deltas?

Noctua seem to think so, and today we will be testing the NH-D14. Without further ado let's take a look at the specifications.

6 heatpipe dual radiator design Providing more surface area, better heat-distribution and superior airflow efficiency than conventional tower style heatsinks, the NH-D14’s six heatpipe dual radiator design was developed to provide ultimate quiet cooling performance in dual fan mode. Dual NF-P14/NF-P12 fan setup The NH-D14 sports a premium quality dual fan setup consisting of Noctua’s award-winning NF-P12 (120mm) and NF-P14 (140mm) fans, both of which feature Vortex-Control Notches, SCD technology and SSO-Bearings in order to achieve a perfect balance of performance and quietness. Asymmetrical design for high compatibility An asymmetrical design that gives more clearance towards the RAM slots ensures good compatibility despite of the cooler’s size. The NF-P12 fan can be moved upwards or left off in order to further improve compatibility. Excellent component cooling Hanging out at the bottom of the fin-stacks, the NF-P14 fan doesn’t only contribute to the NH-D14’s superb CPU cooling capabilities but also provides massive airflow over surrounding motherboard components and heatsinks, thus ensuring excellent component cooling performance. SecuFirm2™ multi-socket mounting system Noctua’s enthusiast grade SecuFirm2™ multi-socket mounting provides broad socket compatibility (LGA1366, LGA1156, LGA775, AM2, AM2+ and AM3) and meets the highest demands in safety, contact pressure and ease-of-use. NT-H1 thermal compound Noctua's much-acclaimed NT-H1 is a well proven pro-grade TIM solution that provides minimum thermal resistance, excellent ease-of-use and outstanding reliability

Lets move on for a first look at the heat sink.